European Union

High-Level Conference on Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) in EuropeOn 22 May 2014, the International Day for Biological Diversity, the European Commission is hosting a high-level Conference to highlight the policy relevance of MAES. The conference will provide a platform to present the work undertaken to date at EU and Member State level as well as contributions from key stakeholders. It will demonstrate how reliable, high-quality information on the state of ecosystems and the services they provide can contribute to the advancement of biodiversity objectives, and to the integration of natural capital concerns into key EU sectoral policies. Read more / Programme (PDF)

Islands ExhibitionDuring the conference, to showcase Island Biodiversity, an exhibition will feature the striking biodiversityof the EU Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories. The objective is to raise awareness on these areas which host 80% of European biodiversity. The exhibition will officially be opened at 17.30 by Dr. Kedrick D. Pickering, Deputy Premier and Minister of Natural Resources and Labour of British Virgin Islands, and can be visited during the networking part of the conference. If you are in the Brussels area, please join us! Read more.

On the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Commission launched a major new initiative to halt biodiversity loss and eradicate poverty in developing countries.

The EU Biodiversity for Life (B4Life) flagship initiative is designed to help the poorest countries protect ecosystems, combat wildlife crime and develop green economies. B4Life will be financed initially from the EU Global Public Goods and Challenges (GPGC) thematic programme as well as from regional and national development cooperation envelopes, with an estimated budget of up to €800 million for 2014-2020. Rread more ->